Alec Baldwin releases first statement after prop gun incident that killed cinematographer

SANTA FE, N.M. — One woman was killed and a man was wounded Thursday in an accidental shooting on the set of “Rust,” a film starring Alec Baldwin. According to authorities, Baldwin, 63, discharged the gun on the movie set in New Mexico.

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Here are the latest updates:

Update 11:47 a.m. EDT Oct. 22: Baldwin posted to Twitter Friday morning speaking about the incident.

In a series of tweets, the actor said, “There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins.”

He also said he is cooperating with the police investigation.

Update 5:28 a.m. EDT Oct. 22: “Rust” cast member Frances Fisher tweeted early Friday that the film’s director, Joel Souza, has left the hospital after he was injured in the Thursday shooting, according to The Washington Post.

Update 10:46 p.m. EDT Oct. 21: According to a Santa Fe County Sheriff’s spokesperson, Alec Baldwin discharged the “prop firearm” that killed a cinematographer and injured the director of the movie “Rust,” the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.

Halyna Hutchins, 42 and the director of photography for the movie, died at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, sheriff’s department spokesperson Juan Rios told the newspaper. The film’s director, Joel Souza, 48, was hospitalized in Santa Fe, Rios said.

>> Who was cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, killed by Alec Baldwin’s ‘prop gun’?

The movie is being filmed in New Mexico, Variety reported. Production for the film has been halted, according to The Associated Press.

“We received the devastating news this evening, that one of our members, Halyna Hutchins, the Director of Photography on a production called ‘Rust’ in New Mexico died from injuries sustained on the set,” John Lindley, the president of the International Cinematographers Guild Local 600, and Rebecca Rhine, the executive director, said in a statement to Variety. “The details are unclear at this moment, but we are working to learn more, and we support a full investigation into this tragic event. This is a terrible loss, and we mourn the passing of a member of our Guild’s family.”

Investigators are still trying to determine if the incident was an accident, Rios said.

No one was arrested and no charges have been filed, the sheriff’s department said. An investigation is ongoing.

Hutchins was director of photography on the 2020 action film “Archenemy,” starring Joe Manganiello, the AP reported. A 2015 graduate of the American Film Institute, Hutchins was named a “rising star” by American Cinematographer in 2019.

“I’m so sad about losing Halyna. And so infuriated that this could happen on a set,” “Archenemy” director Adam Egypt Mortimer tweeted. “She was a brilliant talent who was absolutely committed to art and to film.”

“There was an accident today on the New Mexico set of Rust involving the misfire of a prop gun with blanks,” a spokesperson for Baldwin said in a statement. “Production has been halted for the time being. The safety of our cast and crew remains our top priority.”

>> Alec Baldwin shooting: Film industry reacts after 1 killed, 1 hurt on ‘Rust’ set

A representative for the actor declined to comment further, NBC News reported.

Original report: According to a statement from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department, a 42-year-old woman died after the incident, which involved a prop gun, KOAT-TV reported. She was transported by helicopter to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where she died of her wounds, the sheriff’s department said.

A 42-year-old man was taken to Christus St. Vincent’s Hospital, where he received emergency care, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“The Santa Fe County sheriff’s office confirms that two individuals were shot during filming of a scene on the set of the movie western ‘Rust,’” the sheriff’s department said in its statement. “According to investigators, it appears that the scene being filmed involved the use of a prop firearm when it was discharged. Detectives are investigating how and what type of projectile was discharged.”

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“Rust” is a Western movie set in Kansas during the 1880s, according to IMDb.com. A longtime fugitive, played by Baldwin, along with his estranged 13-year-old grandson, is on the run from the law, the website reported.

The film also stars Jensen Ackles and Travis Fimmel, according to IMDb.com.

According to Variety, the shooting was reported at 1:50 p.m. MDT at the Bonanza Creek Ranch, a popular filming location.

“Production has been halted for the time being,” a spokesperson for Baldwin told E! Online. “The safety of our cast and crew remains our top priority.”

Earlier Thursday, Baldwin posted a photo to Instagram from the set.

”Back to in person at the office,” he wrote. “Blimey ... it’s exhausting.”

Baldwin is co-producing the film under his company, El Dorado Pictures, KABC reported.

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